Futile Suggestions

I am angry, I crave vengeance.

I am tired, I crave peace

I am hateful, I crave love

I am restless, I crave change.

I am hurt, I crave redemption

I am empty, I crave purpose

Alison was one of the few who seemed to be alone at the moment. Not that she wanted to be alone; she had come here to make friends and enjoy herself after all and so having nobody was a little frustrating. Scanning the ballroom again for anyone else in a similar situation her eyes fell upon somebody standing alone by the walls. Perfect. Deciding to try and start a conversation with her, she made her way over, only slowing when she stood in front of Elise. “Hi there,” she greeted with a half smile and small wave. “You look lonely. May I join you?”

Startled, Elise broke her stare from the masses to meet the hopeful gaze of the newcomer. “A-ah, yes, hello there! Are you enjoying yourself?” she chirped in reply, her nerves beginning to settle. 

As she received a positive reply Alison let herself relax, her smile turning into a full, sincere one. “I have to say I am,” she admitted, “normally socialising isn’t exactly what I like to do but I decided to make an effort tonight. How about you, how has your evening been so far?”

Elise couldn’t help but give a gentle laugh, barely audible amongst the noise buzzing all around. “I could say the same, to be honest. I’m glad to have such pleasant company now, though,”  she admitted with a shy grin. Feeling curious, a thought struck her. “Did you come with anyone? Someone as lovely as you must have a companion, yes?” Elise asked, hoping she hadn’t said anything to damper the conversation. She herself had asked a friend to accompany her to the ball, but hadn’t seen her acquaintance the entire evening. 

That laugh was beautiful and Alison couldn't help the growing smile when she heard it. She would have replied to the first statement but Elise was speaking again so she waited for her to finish before nodding. "Yes, I was invited by a friend, though she seems to have wandered off. She was here not long ago but.." She trailed off with a clueless shrug. "How about you, expecting anybody?"

An eyebrow was raised as Cynthia began to blush though she didn’t comment on it as she listened to the response. Though she scoffed as she denied the compliment she once again remained silent, turning her attention back to the path and the quickly approaching castle. It was only when she mentioned her hair did she finally speak. Actually, she first laughed, fighting to hold back the quiet chuckles. “If you want honesty, I tied it up when you knocked on the door. I could have prepared it much better if I had bothered to give it time.” She gave a shrug as she finished, thankful that she had found the clip if to only make it look like she had actually thought about how she looked. “Anyway,” she added in an attempt to change the subject, “we only have a little further to go. Look, I can see the castle grounds from here. It looks quite busy.”

Cynthia wavered a little bit when she saw just how busy it was. She gulped and took a deep breath, trying to stay cool and collected for Alison’s sake. She grinned a tiger tooth smile and bowed jokingly to Alison. “Shall we go in, m’lady?” she giggled. Making inappropriate jokes to hide her growing fear seemed a perfect way to make Alison giggle and smile, a sight Cynthia loved.

Alison could have sword she felt Cynthia slow down even if only for a couple of seconds as they grew even closer though at the smile she quickly brushed away the feeling. After all, there would be no purpose in her hiding her feelings, would there? If she said she was fine then there probably wasn’t anything to worry about. Rolling her eyes at the nickname she unlinked their arms and instead took her hand, urging her forward as she began to speed up. “You are such a flirt. Come on, cutie, lets actually get into the ball instead of standing around late outside!”

What a cutie, Alison snickered to herself, as Cynthia rushed to hold open the doors. As she passed she bopped her gently on the nose and stuck her tongue out playfully before she was stopped, Cynthia suddenly looking very serious about something. Before she could ask however the question spilled from her lips, forcing her to stop and think about it. She reached a conclusion pretty fast and nodded as she turned away to try and locate the bowl. “So long as it’s not apple juice then sure, that sounds great.”

Cynthia crinkled up her nose upon being bopped. She giggled at Alison’s playfulness, finding it adorable. She clasped Alison’s hand in her own and walked towards the buffet table. She poured Alison a tall glass of cherry juice before pouring her own glass of fizzy pop. She gazed at Alison warmly as they drank their drinks together.

Alison was more than pleased to find it was cherry and definitely not apple being served. She accepted the glass with a quiet "thanks" before leaning back against the table to sip away, letting her gaze wander to the people around them. "We could get some food, dance or just sit and talk after this," she commented after she had finished half of her cup. "What would you like to do, dear?"

Alison was one of the few who seemed to be alone at the moment. Not that she wanted to be alone; she had come here to make friends and enjoy herself after all and so having nobody was a little frustrating. Scanning the ballroom again for anyone else in a similar situation her eyes fell upon somebody standing alone by the walls. Perfect. Deciding to try and start a conversation with her, she made her way over, only slowing when she stood in front of Elise. “Hi there,” she greeted with a half smile and small wave. “You look lonely. May I join you?”

Startled, Elise broke her stare from the masses to meet the hopeful gaze of the newcomer. “A-ah, yes, hello there! Are you enjoying yourself?” she chirped in reply, her nerves beginning to settle. 

As she received a positive reply Alison let herself relax, her smile turning into a full, sincere one. "I have to say I am," she admitted, "normally socialising isn't exactly what I like to do but I decided to make an effort tonight. How about you, how has your evening been so far?"

An eyebrow was raised as Cynthia began to blush though she didn’t comment on it as she listened to the response. Though she scoffed as she denied the compliment she once again remained silent, turning her attention back to the path and the quickly approaching castle. It was only when she mentioned her hair did she finally speak. Actually, she first laughed, fighting to hold back the quiet chuckles. “If you want honesty, I tied it up when you knocked on the door. I could have prepared it much better if I had bothered to give it time.” She gave a shrug as she finished, thankful that she had found the clip if to only make it look like she had actually thought about how she looked. “Anyway,” she added in an attempt to change the subject, “we only have a little further to go. Look, I can see the castle grounds from here. It looks quite busy.”

Cynthia wavered a little bit when she saw just how busy it was. She gulped and took a deep breath, trying to stay cool and collected for Alison’s sake. She grinned a tiger tooth smile and bowed jokingly to Alison. “Shall we go in, m’lady?” she giggled. Making inappropriate jokes to hide her growing fear seemed a perfect way to make Alison giggle and smile, a sight Cynthia loved.

Alison could have sword she felt Cynthia slow down even if only for a couple of seconds as they grew even closer though at the smile she quickly brushed away the feeling. After all, there would be no purpose in her hiding her feelings, would there? If she said she was fine then there probably wasn’t anything to worry about. Rolling her eyes at the nickname she unlinked their arms and instead took her hand, urging her forward as she began to speed up. “You are such a flirt. Come on, cutie, lets actually get into the ball instead of standing around late outside!”

What a cutie, Alison snickered to herself, as Cynthia rushed to hold open the doors. As she passed she bopped her gently on the nose and stuck her tongue out playfully before she was stopped, Cynthia suddenly looking very serious about something. Before she could ask however the question spilled from her lips, forcing her to stop and think about it. She reached a conclusion pretty fast and nodded as she turned away to try and locate the bowl. "So long as it's not apple juice then sure, that sounds great."

Alison was one of the few who seemed to be alone at the moment. Not that she wanted to be alone; she had come here to make friends and enjoy herself after all and so having nobody was a little frustrating. Scanning the ballroom again for anyone else in a similar situation her eyes fell upon somebody standing alone by the walls. Perfect. Deciding to try and start a conversation with her, she made her way over, only slowing when she stood in front of Elise. "Hi there," she greeted with a half smile and small wave. “You look lonely. May I join you?”

An eyebrow was raised as Cynthia began to blush though she didn’t comment on it as she listened to the response. Though she scoffed as she denied the compliment she once again remained silent, turning her attention back to the path and the quickly approaching castle. It was only when she mentioned her hair did she finally speak. Actually, she first laughed, fighting to hold back the quiet chuckles. “If you want honesty, I tied it up when you knocked on the door. I could have prepared it much better if I had bothered to give it time.” She gave a shrug as she finished, thankful that she had found the clip if to only make it look like she had actually thought about how she looked. “Anyway,” she added in an attempt to change the subject, “we only have a little further to go. Look, I can see the castle grounds from here. It looks quite busy.”

Cynthia wavered a little bit when she saw just how busy it was. She gulped and took a deep breath, trying to stay cool and collected for Alison’s sake. She grinned a tiger tooth smile and bowed jokingly to Alison. “Shall we go in, m’lady?” she giggled. Making inappropriate jokes to hide her growing fear seemed a perfect way to make Alison giggle and smile, a sight Cynthia loved.

Alison could have sword she felt Cynthia slow down even if only for a couple of seconds as they grew even closer though at the smile she quickly brushed away the feeling. After all, there would be no purpose in her hiding her feelings, would there? If she said she was fine then there probably wasn't anything to worry about. Rolling her eyes at the nickname she unlinked their arms and instead took her hand, urging her forward as she began to speed up. "You are such a flirt. Come on, cutie, lets actually get into the ball instead of standing around late outside!"

An eyebrow was raised as Cynthia began to blush though she didn't comment on it as she listened to the response. Though she scoffed as she denied the compliment she once again remained silent, turning her attention back to the path and the quickly approaching castle. It was only when she mentioned her hair did she finally speak. Actually, she first laughed, fighting to hold back the quiet chuckles. "If you want honesty, I tied it up when you knocked on the door. I could have prepared it much better if I had bothered to give it time." She gave a shrug as she finished, thankful that she had found the clip if to only make it look like she had actually thought about how she looked. "Anyway," she added in an attempt to change the subject, "we only have a little further to go. Look, I can see the castle grounds from here. It looks quite busy."

The quiet knocking on the door easily caught the attention of Alison, who until this point had been staring blankly into a mirror. It wasn’t that she did not want to accompany Cynthia to the ball, rather did not want to appear in a dress. Particularly this one. It seemed a little too flashy for her tastes though it was too late to turn back now. Putting on the best smile she could she turned away from the mirror and towards the door, putting her hair into a loose semi-ponytail as she walked. As she pulled open the door her eyes fell upon her date who, she had to admit, looked absolutely stunning the moment she saw her. “Cynthia! It is wonderful to see you and I must say, you look outstanding this evening.” Smile widened just a little as she stepped out onto the path. “How are you feeling?”

The roses were a little unexpected though not unwelcomes as she found them being placed in her hand. It made her feel a little bad that she hadn't given anything in return but she brushed it off easily as she found Cynthia was speaking again, the others arm linking with her own. "Such compliments are unneeded," she informed in what she thought was a light-hearted manner as she responded to the question by taking a step forward and tugging her along too, "though they are welcomed. So are the roses, very much so! They are beautiful." She paused in her speech for a few seconds, shifting her gaze from the path to Cynthia with a tiny smirk. "Not as beautiful as you could ever be, of course."

The quiet knocking on the door easily caught the attention of Alison, who until this point had been staring blankly into a mirror. It wasn't that she did not want to accompany Cynthia to the ball, rather did not want to appear in a dress. Particularly this one. It seemed a little too flashy for her tastes though it was too late to turn back now. Putting on the best smile she could she turned away from the mirror and towards the door, putting her hair into a loose semi-ponytail as she walked. As she pulled open the door her eyes fell upon her date who, she had to admit, looked absolutely stunning the moment she saw her. "Cynthia! It is wonderful to see you and I must say, you look outstanding this evening." Smile widened just a little as she stepped out onto the path. “How are you feeling?”